BRISBANE Catholic schools have marked the 10th anniversary of National Sorry Day by paying their respects to Australia’s indigenous community.
At Assisi Catholic College, Upper Coomera, the 1100 students marked the May 26 anniversary with a visual display in one of the school’s gardens.
An Assisi assistant principal for religious education Danny McCormick said the visual display involved red, black and yellow fabric being entwined in a tree.
“This has been done to symbolise the continual renewal of the Aboriginal culture and the respect that members of the Assisi community have for Aboriginal people,” Mr McCormick said.
He said 500 students from Years 7-12 then placed reconciliation words on cardboard hands that were placed on stakes and added to the display to show solidarity with Aboriginal people.
“Six-hundred students from Prep to Year 6 then put their handprints on sheets of cardboard also as a demonstration of solidarity with Aboriginal people that were added to the display,” he said.
Mr McCormick said students used smaller Aboriginal flags to decorate the space and raise awareness of the national apology to indigenous people. Aboriginal music was played during the school’s “Franciscan five” for the entire week of May 24-28.
“Franciscan Five occurs for five minutes each day and the time is set aside for the Assisi community to allow for quiet contemplation,” Mr McCormick said.
The use of Aboriginal music at this time was done to allow the community time to contemplate such issues as the Stolen Generation, reconciliation and other indigenous social justice issues.
Brigidine College, Indooroopilly, also used “hands” to spread the word about reconciliation, forgiveness, healing and hope.
Brigidine deputy principal for mission Andree Rice said the hands were symbolic of the 54 recommendations in the “Stolen Generations Track Home” Report which was released on May 26, 1997.
“The colours red, black, yellow, blue, green and white represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed,” Ms Rice said.
“Each year, we hold a respectful Sorry Day service to mark the beginning of Reconciliation Week across Australia from May 27 to June 3.”
Ms Rice said Inala elder Uncle Albert Holt addressed the college community and emphasised the important role of education in seeing through the process of reconciliation begun by the report and the Prime Minister’s national apology in 2008.
“The students believe that Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week allow all of us to ‘take a step towards becoming a truly united nation’.”
